Train-number indicator.



W. S; HAMM.

TRAIN NUMBER INDICATOR.

PPLIDATION FILED mm; 7,1909.

Patented June 13, 1911.

. To'aZZ whom-it may concern,"

UNTTE i STATES PATENT @FFKJE.

WILLIAM s. nAM r. UBBAnn woons, ILLINOIS,..-ASSIGNO-R= TO TH 'ADAMS &

aaeese. l

Be it known that I, VILLIAM 'S. Hamil, a

'citizeirot the United Statesfand resident 1 0f Hubbard\Voodacounty of (look, and

State oflllinois,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Number Indicators, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. 7

The invention-relates to that class of (le vices adapted to be mounted upon a railway -tra1n, usually upon the engine or the caboose, for the purpose of indicating the number assigned to the train, and so displaying the number that it may easily be read from a station platform or by the en gineer of a train which may be met on the road. The number of the train may be changechor the number of the caboose upon which the device is mounted may from time to'time be attached to various trains; Difficulty has been encountered in devising devices of this character. which will conspicuously "and plainlydisplay the train number in such position that it may be read from the various points of view which may be occupied by persons interested, and it has also beenditlicult to uniformly and plainly illurjiinate all the figures of the number in v a device adapted to be thus positioned. The

' Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section on the line number must be read quickly, especially if the train is athigh speed, and there may be no repetition of it to enable the observer to verify his reading. If the illumination of .the various characters is not uniform, a strong impression is made up ofth'e character most strongly shown, and those which are not so clear are really rendered less visible by reason of the brighter illumination of their companions, with the'result'that inaccurate readings am not uncommon. These difficulties have been overcome in the present device, as'will be'hereinafter pointed out; and the invention consists in a structure such as described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device; Fig. 2.is a detail plan view of a locomotiveequipp'ed with a pair of the devices;

8-3-of Fig.1; and Fig. ofthe device;

The device comprises a box 10, preferably tis a plan section inade of sheet metal, and which in plan section I minimal sm .Iiihrdetroit,

as 24, is

1 vvnsrm cs corrrenxor cnronco, ILLINOIS, A oonroaarronon rumors.

ss rial No.*5 00,75 1."

cciiistituting the front of the boxa'ndbeing number required to be displayed. Asshown,

,Specincationof Letters Patent. i.} Patentefl Jung-13 1911". [Application filed Junei', 1909.

is fan shaped, the wider expanses o'f the fan there are fivepanels, the number19,3-3t2 being exhibited, each of: the figures of the number occupying a single panel. Each'panel-comprises an outer transparentplate 11, an. intermediate stencil 51M612, andan inner translucent plate 13, preferably made of what is known in the trade as opal glass and which, when illuminated, is white. The

several plates are inserted from above in suitable ways, two sets being shown. as represented at 14,15, the outer plate 11 occupying the ways 14: and the two inner plates 12, 13, entering together the ways 15. For convenience in removing the plates a depression or thumb-hole 23 may be formed in the top of the box adjacent the center of each panel.

An opcnable cover plate 16 forms a part of the top of the box and permits access to the ways for the purpose of inserting and moving the plates. This cover may be secured, when closed, by any suitable means, such as the spring catches 17. Springs, as 18, 19,may be attached to the stiles supporting the panels in such manner as-to bear against the outer faces of the plates 11.

A lamp 20, of any. suitable form, is located adjacent the acute angle of the box, and a ventilating dome 21 is mounted on the top of the box over the lamp.

Access is gainedto the interior of the box for the purpose of inserting, moving or trimming the lamp through a slide door 22, prefer-ably located at the back of the device and running in vertical ways. The device, when used upon a locomotive preferably placed and properly secured adjacent the smoke stack 25, one being placed at each side thereof and so positioned that the front is substantially at an angle of sixty-five degrees to the track and inclines inwardlytoward the frontof the engine'. WVhen so placed all of the panels come' within the view of'a person standing upon a station platform or riding upon' the engine of an oppositely moving train, as the train approaches, and remain'in view even though the train may be moving at a high rate of speed, for a sufiicient time to enable him to certainly comprehend the 10 from t elamp number displayed. When mounted at the 'rear'end of a train and facing backwardl'y,

lamp substantially it is plainly readable either from a station plat-form or an oppositely moving train after the train carrying it has passed.

box, the location of. the at its apex, and the subdivision-of its front into panels, s0 dispose the severalfigures of the number that they are ap roximately perpendicular to radii as a center,thus insuring strong and'umform illumination of all the characters. I I

The term lamp as herein used will apply The shape oi the to any light-producing device, as a gas burner,- or an oil or electric lamp.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a'traln number md1cator,acas1ng,a

lamp within the casing, a series of translucent panels forming together a side face of the casing and: arranged in intersecting planes,-the several planes being approxi- I mately perpendicular to radii from the lamp as a center. I

2. In a train number indicator, a casing a lamp within the casing, a series of translucent panels bearing characters collectively indicating a trainnumber and forming to- .gether a side face ofthe casing and arranged 

